( More wonderful adventures of Lyssie! Still don't own the Tortall characters. 'Cept Lyssie, Dan, Adarian and well....I hope you can tell who I made up ) please R/R and I shall give more stories.)
She opened her eyes slowly and then closed them again at sun light shone in through the small window. The sounds of the village surrounded her as one but one the villagers awoke and began to ply their trade. The door to her small room swung open and a man stood silhouetted in the door frame.
"Da!"
She leapt up and threw her arms around him. He lifted the little girl up into his arms and both laughed.
"So, Lyssie my little one, do you remember what today is?"
She smiled and pretended to think it over.
"I dunno."
"Why, it's your birthday. And have a look see what I got you."
He held up a small slingshot, perfectly sized for the six year old's hands. Her eyes widened with unadulterated glee. She grasped it carefully and held it up in her right hand as he tied a little bag of stones to her belt.
"How's it work, Da?"
"You take one of these little stones here, put it right there and pull back. What you see right between these two sticks is what you hit, as long as it's not too far away."
"Thanks, Da."
She hugged him again and then he started to walk out of the room.
"Get dressed, Lyssie, I'm going to go make some breakfast."
"A'right, Da."
Lys walked over to the small hinged-box in the corner. She pulled on fawn leggings and a blue tunic with a white shirt. She fastened the belt around her waist, tucked the wooden sword and slingshot in it and ran out into the main room.
"Here're your eggs, Lyssie."
She took the little plate and sat cross-legged on the floor, eating with her fingers. He handed her a glass of milk and she gulped it down.
"Can I go out'n play now, Da?"
"Do your chores first, and be sure you're back by lunch."
"A'right."
Lys put the plate near the other dirty dishes and ran out the door to look for her friends.
"Dan! Lyra! Marek! Matt! Glen! Where're you guys?"
"O'er here, Lyssie!"
"Get o'er here! Lyra's Da telled her he saw the Lioness!"
"The Lioness?" shouted Lys, as she ran to where her friends' voices were coming from.
"Yeah, Lady Knight Alanna the Lioness."
"I heared she killed a princess from the Copper Isles."
"I heared she killed a mage twice."
"Twice?"
"Another mage brought him back."
"Well, I heared that she's married to the king of thieves."
"And I heared that one of herlittle oneswas kidnapped and is living somewhere in Scanra!"
Everyone stared at Dan in awe and then Lyra turned to look at Lys.
"I bet its you, Lyssie. You ain't got a Ma, you look kinda like the Lioness and you and your Da moved here when we was two, my Da sayed so."
"But…I'd amember the Lioness iffen she were my Ma."
"Maybe not, Lyssie, iffen you was just a little one…"
"Well…I'll ask Da at lunch."
Then Lys' eyes widened and she put her hand to her belt.
"I almost forgetted, guess what Da gived me for my birthday."
"What?"
Lys, beaming with joy, produced the little slingshot and held it up. A chorus of 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' showed her friends approval of the small gift.
"S'nice, Lyssie."
"I wish my Da gived e such a nice slingshot."
"Maybe for your birthday, Lyra."
"I s'pose."
"Show us how it works, Lyssie."
Dan walked over to a tree and carved a small "X" in it with his little knife. Lys lifted up her slingshot, held a pebble to it and aimed carefully. The pebble whistled through the air and hit the tree with a thud. She smiled at the older boy as he examined her shot.
"Nice shot, little one."
"Da!"
"You forgot you chores."
"I'm sorry, Da, I'll go to it right now."
Lys tucked the slingshot back in her belt and ran off to tend the cow. Unbeknownst to her, Dan followed along behind.
"Lyssie," Dan ran up behind her, " 'Bout what we was sayin' earlier…"
"S'alright."
"Huh?"
"I wondered before meself why I ain't got a ma. Iffen you and Lyra think the Lioness is my ma…well that's your thinkin'."
"Lyssie…."
"S'almost lunch time, I gotta go back home."
Lys smiled at her older friend and then turned and ran back to her house.
"They'll be here soon…" muttered Adarian as he stared out the window."Da? What're you talkin' bout?"
"Nothing, Lyssie."
"Da?"
"Sit down." Adarian continued staring out the window. He could see a troop coming up the road. "Damn you, Maggur, damn you…Lyssie, you have to leave, go in my things, there's a sword. Take it and leave, go far away and don't come back, its too dangerous." His eyes widened. "THE MAGE? Why would he send the mage? Unless…..unless that fool plan of his…." He turned to Lys and grabbed her by the shoulders, "Go now and no matter what you hear don't come back. Any questions?"
"I…."
"If you want to know anything, ask it now."
"Why ain't I got a Ma?"
There it was. She had blurted out the one thing that had always bothered her and she had never asked.
"You do, Lyssie-"
A spell suddenly flew through the house. Lyssie saw it coming at her and threw her arms up as though to defend herself and then out of no where, something knocked her out of the way.
"Do what your Da said, Lyssie. Come on."
"Dan?"
"Move it, Lyssie! Those soldiers aren't about to wait for you."
Lys nodded, tears beginning to come to her eyes. She ran into the other room and opened the box that lay on her father's bed. Her hands searched blindly through the clothes in the small box, until, all the way at the bottom lay a sword bound in canvas. It was small, too small for a grown man but a bit large yet for Lys. Dan grabbed her arm.
"Come on!"
The soldiers didn't notice the flight of the two children and the mage paid it no heed. They were gone, never to turn back.
